Word: daytona
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Things aren't as dire on the American stock-car circuit. But without question, NASCAR, which kicks off its racing season with its most prestigious race, the Daytona 500, on Feb. 15, has stalled. More than any other major pro sport, NASCAR depends on corporate sponsorships to fund its operations. Those logos splashed all over a driver's racing suit aren't just for show. The sponsorship has grown to the point where the more corporatized circuit has alienated a portion of the sport's beer-drinking core. And as these companies pull back on their marketing budgets...
With high fuel prices deterring trips to the track last summer, NASCAR attendance dropped nearly 10% in 2008. This season, with the recession, ticket sales have lagged. In early February 2008, Daytona seats were sold out. This season, plenty of seats were still available. International Speedway, which owns 12 Sprint Cup tracks, including the Daytona International Speedway, recently announced that advance sales for all its tracks were down 17%. Eddie Gossage, president of the Texas Motor Speedway, a Speedway Motorsports track that hosts two Sprint Cup races, laments that funding for corporate hospitality tents has dropped. "All of the executives...
...layoffs: 600 to 800 workers from Sprint Cup teams have been let go since the end of last season. "It has served to cull the flock," says Steve Kalik, a team manager for Specialty Racing in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide series. NASCAR also banned testing prior to Daytona and during the season, essentially R&D time for the cars at its sanctioned tracks for the 2009 season. France estimates the ban will save teams $30 million. (See pictures of custom big rigs...
...tracks are also discounting to spur foot traffic. At Daytona, the cost of backstretch seats was reduced from $95 to $55, the lowest price since 1995. Race organizers negotiated with local hotels to eliminate minimum-five-day stays. Organizers in Charlotte, N.C., have also persuaded the city's hotels to reduce rates for the two Sprint Cup races at Lowe's Motor Speedway (LMS). According to LMS president Marcus Smith, the track not only dropped prices in some sections but also refunded the difference to fans who had already purchased, an effort, he says, to show loyalty to the customers...
...pictures of the 50th edition of the Daytona...